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Free Northwestern Army
The Free Northwestern Army (also known as the FNA) is loosely organized group of militias, partisans, and warlords that fight for 'democracy' in Cascadia. This is at least in theory, as in practice the FNA mostly functions as a pro-NCR militia that fights for the Republic's causes in Oregon and Washington somewhat consistently. History Beginnings Though the Free Northwestern Army was technically founded in 2269, its history goes back further than that. Many preexisting groups joined the FNA such as the Mutant Hunters in Portland (the FNA of the North) and the Soldiers of Mohammed in eastern Oregon (the Army of Manifest Destiny). However, what is really important is what brought about the creation of the FNA in the first place: the Oregon Brushfire Wars. By 2269, the New California Republic had already fought three wars in the Pacific Northwest and was in the process of fighting a fourth, the War of the Northwestern Alliance. NCR at that point was tired of sending their boys to die in some rainy forest in Oregon, and the NCR Army was fully aware that fatigue over the war was building. So, the higher-ups in the NCR Army decided that it was time to establish a proxy force to enforce its will in the Pacific Northwest. That was when the idea of the Free Northwestern Army was established. The NCR brass formed this army practically out of thin air with caravan guards, mercenaries, and NCR Army veterans. The Free Northwestern Army was first put into action in 2269 against the Purifiers at their stronghold Hell's Gate alongside NCR forces and Badlanders. The move was partially done to gain the group some degree of legitimacy by removing a local nuisance. The FNA managed to trap the Purifiers in their volcano home, and they saw victory as assured. It would be a victory for them, but at a high price. The Purifiers' leader Abigail Doyle purposefully sabotaged the machinery in the bowels of Hell’s Gate that kept the molten magma in the volcano around them under pressure, preventing it from erupting. With that, Hell's Gate erupted and hundreds of people died in a matter of hours. One of the few people that survived was the FNA general Randy Adams, which allowed the FNA to reorganize. A year later, NCR would hand Grant's Pass over to the Free Northwestern Army to administrate. From there, the FNA would expand its influence through both military force and radio. It turned out radio would be a much more effective influence, although the FNA under General Randy Adams would take control of several towns around Grant's Pass. The FNA's radio broadcasts about their beliefs would work tremendously in the years after the War of the Northwestern Alliance. The first to come under the FNA's banner would be the Mutant Hunters in Portland who were already allied with the NCR. Next came some more groups such as the Soldiers of Mohammed and the raider army underneath Tyrone Creed. The next two years were spent with General Adams trying to centralize his control over the various FNA groups. He maintained some degree of control, and he was able to coordinate operations between groups against enemies such as Oregon tribals. Much of Adams's time was also spent juggling relations with Badlanders as both groups were NCR allies but never really got along. Splintering The death of General Randy Adams in 2272 sent the FNA’s unity into a nosedive. Homer Jay, the new lead general, lacked any of General Adams’s gravitas or raw determination. General Jay was picked as the FNA’s new leader by NCR advisers in Grant’s Pass due to his malleability and closeness to the NCR. The lack of even some level of acknowledgement and General Jay’s subsequent ineptitude enraged many other FNA groups. In the following years, the centralized authority of the FNA broke down even as the group continued to spread. Various FNA cells managed to claw plots of land in Oregon and clashed often with enemies. These remaining enemies included Oregon tribals and the Sons of Liberty, groups who had once fought them in the War of the Northwestern Alliance. The remnants of the Northwestern Alliance became increasingly afraid of the FNA's spread, as Cascadia still had no one large authority to put down this new threat, even if the NCR was not directly involved. One of the FNA's largest obstacles ironically used to be their greatest allies: Badlanders. Ever since the end of the War of the Northwestern Alliance, cooperation between the FNA and Badlanders has been strained at best. On other occasions, the groups have become outright hostile to one another. The Army of Manifest Destiny in particular is very hostile to Badlanders. A more recent threat to the FNA has been Skull-Taker's Legion, who have overrun much of what was once FNA territory in Portland. The death of General Clint Bundy and the rise of General Clark in Portland led to better relations between the FNA in Portland and those among central command in Grant's Pass. General Clark leans more on the south for his support, but like many in the army, he does not have any real love for General Jay and his NCR puppetmasters in Grant's Pass. He just feels that cooperation is more beneficial than autonomy, especially when he is up against someone like Skull-Taker and his tribals. Reemergence The Free Northwestern Army has experienced something of rebound in the last couple of years. General Homer Jay has begun reasserting control over the various FNA groups running rampant over Cascadia for years. In 2282, the FNA was happy to hear the creation of a cell in Seattle under Chen Song. General Jay is in direct cooperation with Colonel Song and the FNA group in Portland. His NCR handlers in Grant's Pass are unhappy that he has been so slow moving in his progress of controlling all the disparate FNA groups. Right now, it looks like that may take another decade at least, and by then, who knows what new threat might emerge in Cascadia to challenge the FNA for dominance. Culture Made up of numerous groups spanning the large area of Cascadia, the Free Northwestern Army is an incredibly diverse organization culturally. That includes former raiders, warlords, caravan guards, mercenaries, ex-cultists, right-wing militia, partisans, and idealists. Fractured by a lack of roads, weather, and mountains, the FNA struggles to even maintain communication, no less maintaining a unified culture. FNA groups usually do include some common features. These include NCR-manufactured weapons, a certain reverence for Old World values, and a militant attitude towards their goals. Differences abound from there, as the FNA disagree among themselves about what they represent. This includes their attitudes towards NCR, Badlanders, and the future of Cascadia. Economy The FNA has a rather varied economy, seeing as it has numerous affiliate groups in many areas. Most groups do not produce their weapons, equipment, or food. Most of their supplies comes from the NCR, who directly fund many FNA groups. Besides getting funding from NCR, the FNA mostly exchanges protection for supplies from local settlements with the formalities of these deals varying wildly. The FNA in Grant's Pass and Portland have a formal taxation system while most groups near small wasteland settlements and homesteads just enact tribute when needed. This money is used to pay the soldiers and to buy essentials for the army that NCR does not provide. More sinister elements of the FNA extort what they need from wastelanders and homesteaders through force, making them little better than the raiders and tribals they claim to fight. The most notable example of a FNA group that does this is the Army of Manifest Destiny, whose warlord leader even endorses the practice of abducting women to be "camp followers" and forcibly recruiting "young men" into his army. Government The government of the FNA is centered with its command structure in southern Oregon, strictly speaking. However, the FNA is a rather loose coalition of militant groups around Cascadia with very little administration. Some FNA groups are practically upjumped raider bands while others are more centered around a warlord. The more organized groups are militias who have a proper chain of command that control issues both military and civilian related. Military The FNA is essentially just a military coalition made of various different groups with differing equipment, weapons, and manpower. The groups also vary wildly in their views, with some being closely allied alongside NCR while others are only more loosely associated with the Bear. The groups are dotted all over Cascadia, from southern Oregon to northern Washington. The Free Northwestern Army of the South The Free Northwestern Army of the South is a great deal many things. It is the oldest FNA group, the largest FNA group, the most "official" FNA group, and the closest to NCR. The group was organized in 2269 by elements of the NCR Army, who placed former mercenary Randy Adams as the general in charge with current caravan guard Homer Jay as a colonel. NCR also placed advisers in Grant's Pass to help out the FNA with strategy and logistics. The Free Northwestern Army of the South has taken part in The Purification War, The Smouldering War, and The "Cascadian Civil War". Currently, the Free Northwestern Army of the South mostly focuses on protecting allied communities and homesteads while slowly expanding its sphere of influence. Although the group is the largest in the FNA, its influence collapsed after the death of General Randy Adams, and General Homer Jay struggles to coordinate with other FNA groups. Nevertheless, the Free Northwestern Army of the South still holds a central position within the group and takes the lion's share of funding from NCR. The Free Northwestern Army of the North The Free Northwestern Army of the North, originally the Mutant Hunters, is centered in Portland and is second only to the Free Northwestern Army of the South. Founded as a death squad for super mutants in Portland, the Mutant Hunters eventually evolved to serve as the protectors of settlements rather than just killers. During the Oregon Brushfire Wars, the Mutant Hunters originally threw their lot in with the anti-NCR forces against invaders. However, the Mutant Hunters would later side with the NCR for reasons relating to trade and would be folded into the FNA. Currently, the Free Northwestern Army of the North is struggling to fight back against Skull-Taker's Legion. This army has a reputation for being well-trained and highly regimented while also being absolutely ruthless. They have been characterized in the past as “fascists”, and their obsession with order has only increased this reputation. The Northwest Freedom Brigade The Northwest Freedom Brigade is General Tyrone Creed's FNA group in southern Washington that dominates the area. They primarily occupy the town of Centerville and towns within that area. The group already existed as a raider army under the warlord Creed which only really changed in name when he joined the FNA. The situation in the area around Centerville has not changed much, although the adoption of the FNA label has brought up standards somewhat. The Northwest Freedom Brigade does not nakedly act like raiders anymore, and they tend not to collect tribute in an arbitrary manner like they once did. That being said, the Northwest Freedom Brigade is still seen as one of the less reputable FNA groups due to its raider origins. The Army of Manifest Destiny The Army of Manifest Destiny is probably the most notorious FNA group, infamous for its brutal leader General Shabazz and general lack of moral constraints. This group was originally known as the Soldiers of Mohammed, a militant group descended from the Nation of Islam. General Shabazz joined the FNA as an opportunistic move to join the apparent victors of the Oregon Brushfire Wars and to collect the free weapons the NCR would surely give him. He was proven right when the FNA in Grant’s Pass gave him plentiful weapons and wished him well. The Army of Manifest Destiny has been rampaging through western Oregon ever since. After the death of General Adams, the group has become even more erratic as they do not respect the authority of the current FNA lead general, Homer Jay. The Union Patrol The Union Patrol, now part of the Free Northwestern Army of the North, was a FNA group in northern Oregon originally founded by some renegade Sons of Liberty and led by General Virgo Clark. It existed on the short time between Virgo Clark’s defection and him joining the Free Northwestern Army of the North. The Soldiers of Democracy The Soldiers of Democracy is a new FNA cell in Seattle founded by the visionary Colonel Chen Song. The group was unofficially around for years with Chen Song as its only member. It only really kicked off when Chen Song brought some US Army remnants in Campbell Armory into the fold. Since then, Chen Song has been given the rank of colonel by General Homer Jay and has begun to make moves against groups like King’s Council to gain local support. The Liberty Brigrade The Liberty Brigrade is General Mary Grace's little band of misfits determined to take Grand Coulee Dam from its current occupants. The group started in 2286 as just the infamous couple Mary Grace and Braylon along with their "trigger man" Keith, but their numbers have increased in time from raiders and mercenaries who were attracted by the raider couple's celebrity. This FNA group is even more motley than usual with no uniform appearance or equipment. The Liberty Brigade is not motivated by ideology but instead the singular goal of taking Grand Coulee Dam. The Kimball Freedom Brigade A defunct group within the FNA, the Kimball Freedom Brigade was formed completely by volunteers from NCR. Founded around 2270 (soon after NCR halted expansion in southern Oregon), the Kimball Freedom Brigade's members were all volunteers, mostly veterans of the NCR Army, who were not ready to go back to California. Some members included the NCR homesteader Ignacio Montes and the former NCR drill sergeant Ward. The group named itself after the recent "Hero of the Mojave", General Aaron Kimball.The Kimball Freedom Brigade fought alongside the Free Northwestern Army of the South for a couple of years, mostly fighting Oregon tribals. The group was mostly centered in Grant's Pass and used that as its base of operations. The Kimball Freedom Brigade was eventually folded back into the NCR Army in 2274 when the war on the NCR border heated up. Notable Members General Randy Adams General Randy Adams was the first leader of the Free Northwestern Army and kept the group quite unified until his death in 2272. General Adams was once a lowly caravan guard, but he was uplifted by the NCR Army to the position of general among the new Free Northwestern Army. He is regarded as the best leader the FNA ever had, and his time as commanding general is remembered nostalgically by many under his command. However, his failures at places like Hell's Gate and Medford cannot be discounted either. General Adams was not altogether prepared for command after all, and he was forced to adapt to his role quickly without any sort of tutelage. General Homer Jay General Homer Jay is currently the official leader of the FNA, but in reality, he only really controls the FNA groups around his power base Grant's Pass in southern Oregon and a couple of other cells around Cascadia. General Jay is quite unpopular throughout the wider FNA due to his indecisive and depressive nature. His NCR handlers are worried about his ability to lead, Colonel Mahers Colonel Mahers is General Jay's second-in-command who works hard to keep the FNA afloat as well as being NCR's main contact. Originally a part of the Free Army, Mahers was press-ganged into the FNA soon after the conclusion of the War of the Northwestern Alliance. Working up his way to becoming a colonel within the FNA, Mahers is primarily self-interested, but he has grown somewhat loyal to the FNA in his years of service. General Tyrone Creed General Tyrone Creed is a reformed raider who controls a sizable area within southern Washington with an iron fist and only pays minimal lip-service to General Jay. A prominent raider boss with a sizable army before joining the FNA, General Creed has centered his power base on the banks of the Columbia River, and he has held his position for years while slowly expanding into the greater wasteland. General Shabazz General Shabazz, more of a warlord than a general, is a former Nation of Islam cultist who has a particular soft spot for the good things in life. The group Shabazz leads, the Army of Manifest Destiny, was founded as a continuation of the Nation of Islam's pre-War message of racial separatism. Nowadays, General Shabazz is less concerned about promoting racial superiority and is more concerned about enriching himself and his cronies. General Virgo Clark General Virgo Clark is currently the overall leader of the FNA in northern Oregon and southern Washington, and he is a man with quite a colorful past. A renegade within the Sons of Liberty, Virgo Clark left the group because he saw it as a dead end. He and some followers joined the FNA soon after leaving the Sons of Liberty, and they were a nuisance until being forced east. From there, Clark joined General Clint's forces in Portland and eventually succeeded the general when he died at the hands of Skull-Taker's Legion. General Clint Bundy General Clint Bundy was the leader of the FNA in Portland and the former leader of the Mutant Hunters who was killed during the Oregon Brushfire Wars. General Bundy was the man who brought the Mutant Hunters into the FNA fold and led them through the War of the Northwestern Alliance. He was unable to win the peace however, and the general was killed during the invasion of Portland by Skull-Taker and Skull-Taker's Legion. General Bundy is remembered as an honest determined man but very set in his ways. His stubbornness and unwillingness to compromise was one of the reasons he was unable to unite Portland before Skull-Taker's arrival. Colonel Chen Song Colonel Chen Song is a failed artist and an amateur philosopher who is now an officer in the Free Northwestern Army due to his recent accomplishments. Descended from Chinese-Americans, Chen hopes to bring democracy back to the wasteland and sees the FNA as a way of doing that. He was seen as bit of an oddball by the people of Chinatown who did not take him seriously at first, but Chen now poses a real threat since obtaining the loyalty of the ghouls of Campbell Armory. He spends his time between Chinatown and Campbell Armory since his presence back home sometimes provokes violence. Chen Song was born in 2264 to two doting parents. His father was a mechanic while his mother stayed at home to care for the family. Chen proved to be a despondent child who seemed to be desperately looking for something. The parents and siblings of Chen frequently worried about him, but they mostly left the young boy to his own devices. The boy spent most of his time with education in Chinatown and exploration around the community. Chen became well-known in Chinatown as a rather... odd child who seemed either wise beyond his years or really annoying. In Chen’s teenage years, word from caravans outside Chinatown came about the events in Cascadia including the rise of the FNA and the advancement of Badlanders south. Introverted yet adventurous, Chen jumped into the field of philosophy in his late teens, exploring ideologies such as socialism, communism, and finally democracy. Chen's teachers encouraged him while his family felt he remained something of a child. Chen Song left his parents’ home in 2282 to live in the Panama Hotel to search for work. Chen’s parents had hoped he would stay, but he knew his older siblings would take care of their family without him. Living in the Panama Hotel, Chen decided to become an artist as well as an advocate for democracy. Chen’s art, realistic paintings, did not sell, and he mostly lived off of dealing second-hand chems many days. His advocacy for democracy did not convince any of his neighbors to assist him in starting a “political movement”. Chen heard increasing stories of the FNA’s advancement north in late 2282 and decided to join up after a few weeks of review. Chen sent a letter to Oregon to tell the FNA of his joining up. That took a couple of months itself and only returned after Chen had gone through new trials. After unofficially joining the FNA, Chen decided to firstly try to recruit more members to fight for democracy in Seattle. The ambitious young man did not get anyone to join up and lost even more caps while essentially just wasting his time. Chen decided in the winter of 2282 to start going around Seattle to recruit in the name of democracy. Going around Seattle that winter, Chen barely made it back to Chinatown alive in February after escaping numerous scrapes with raiders, super mutants, and Badlanders. However it have seemed that Chen came back empty-handed though, he did gain something very important that winter. While wandering around north Seattle beyond the safe boundaries of the city-states, Chen was chased around by some Badlanders. He was chased until he came to Campbell Army, where both he and the Badlanders were fired upon by the mysterious inhabitants. Most of the Badlanders were scared while Chen and three of the tribals were captured. Chen awakened later to find himself strapped to a table. His surroundings were arcane and badly-lit, obviously pre-War. Several ghouls could be seen milling around, saying they were 'preparing' the prisoners. Chen watched terrified as he watched two Badlanders get lobotomies. Their mouths were tied shut but it was clear that they had no anesthesia. With his mouth not covered yet, Chen began to talk desperately to the ghouls trying to convince them to stop operating on the captives, pleading with them to stop before getting to the third Badlander. His appeals to morality and offers of caps fell on deaf ears. It was only when Chen mentioned the ideals of democracy and his membership in the FNA that one ghoul paused to listen, motioning for the other ghouls to stop their work. The ghoul, introducing himself to Chen as Lieutenant Peter Maliuk, freed the two non-lobotimized captives from their restraints. The lieutenant went on to tell Chen about the ghouls’ pre-War origins and promise him that everything would be explained. The ghouls then proceeded to put them in a room for interrogation some time later. Chen was stuck in that little room for two weeks. Those two weeks were quite formative for Chen. He talked often with the Badlander in his cell, a fellow of similar age named Brave Storm. Brave Storm initially showed severe hostility towards his cell mate. However, the Badlander eventually warmed up to Chen, revealing his name and thanking Chen for probably saving his life. The two had a lot of time to talk about various things like tribal religion and ideology. The ghouls basically had no contact with them for days, only coming by to leave food and water. That was until the end of the second week when Lieutenant Maliuk finally arrived for the interrogation. He apologized for his lateness, saying “time passes faster when you’re never gonna die”. After that, Chen and Maliuk had an in-depth conversation about the FNA, the purpose of Campbell Armory, and both of their possible futures. Chen told Maliuk of the FNA’s quest of restoring democracy to the wasteland and even told him of NCR, the great republic far to the south. These subjects fascinated Maliuk, and in return, he told Chen about Campbell Armory’s history and its current role as the base of U.S. Army remnants and the producer of Robobrains. The two finished up by discussing both of their futures, figuring they could help each other give their lives meaning. Chen was released from Campbell Armory along with Brave Storm with a pledge of loyalty from the remaining sane ghouls within the armory. Chen and Brave Storm parted ways with Chen heading back to Chinatown to inform his FNA superiors of his accomplishment. The FNA in Portland was happy to hear the good news, and Chen was promoted to colonel for his achievement. After 2282, Chen began making frequent trips to Campbell Armory to help organize the ghouls there into a proper FNA fighting force while continuing to recruit in Chinatown. Chen actually began attracting more recruits when he obtained a Robobrain bodyguard from Campbell Armory. In early 2283, Colonel Chen Song chose the name “the Soldiers of Democracy” for his FNA cell and settled on an objective to win over the people of Seattle: destroying King’s Council, the last big raider group left in the city. Utilizing his Robobrains and experienced (if a bit loony) ghouls, Colonel Song attacked quickly in mid 2283 and yielded huge losses from King’s Council who were utterly unprepared for organized opposition after years of peace. However, King's Council soon struck back and sent the FNA running back to Campbell Armory. Still, the short offensive in 2283 showed that the FNA had a presence in Seattle which made many people uneasy. Colonel Chen is unaware of this uneasiness, still fighting to take down King's Council to win the love of the Seattle city-states and recruit more people to the Soldiers of Democracy. Currently, Colonel Song shares his time between Chinatown and Campbell Armory, with most of his time spent with his ghoul friends planning their next offensive after he persuades the ghouls not to abduct people for lobotomies anymore. Chen would like to spend more time in Chinatown, but the unseen presence of King's Council makes him cautious to return home. Nevertheless, Chen is not too concerned about being targeted by raider death squads and is still focused on his goals of fulfilling his ideal of democracy. Chen Song is a rather thoughtful individual who has little in the way of motivation most of the time. He hopes to accomplish something in his life besides simply surviving the wasteland. His odd behavior from an early age and pie in the sky ideals separates Chen from the rest of Chinatown, who see him as something of an outsider or even a traitor to the community. However, Colonel Chen is at least still allowed in Chinatown even if he is seen as something of an outcast. That and Chen's optimism has kept him going, even when depression threatens to overwhelm him. General Mary Grace The self-proclaimed General Mary Grace (working alongside her partner Braylon) is a former raider who is reluctantly working with the FNA to take Grand Coulee Dam. She is more or less being blackmailed by the command in Grant's Pass to take the dam, and if was up to her, Grace would high tail it out of the region. Nevertheless, she remains due to the blackmail held by her handler and is single-mindedly focused on her objective. Quotes By About Category:Groups Category:Cascadia Category:New California Republic